Mary, I've been dying to find more about the Armada.
I've seen stories about Spanish names in Ireland, but haven't been able to find it today. It wasn't only during the Armada that the 2 nations met - and I am convinced that my Irish Catholic great great grandma was as a result of some of these goings on. I've summarised what I've found -
Interestingly the Basque country people are apparently 0 positive blood type – so not only African ethnics.
The armada was alleged to leave from the opposite side, Lisbon.
The term black Irish is of dark-haired lasses or ladies with blue eyes, which is rumoured to be as a result of the Spanish.
Spain comprised of 2 ethnic groups - (Pre-Indo-European and Celtic). Celtic DNA is a dominant feature in the British Isles. The country was divided by a mountain range but there is archeological evidence of the Celts using the Iberian alphabet. The Iberians were the travelers and traders till the 6th C BC.
According to some blogs, the ‘Milesians’ sailed to Ireland from the Iberian Peninsula, circa 500 BC.
Think about the Gaelic tongue – Portugal was then known as port au Galli (Port of the Gaels).
The Spanish Armada was 1588. Most drowned or were murdered, but there were some sympathizers.
Clans protected survivors incl O’Rourke of Breifne (Cavan), McClancy of Rosclogher(Leitrim) and Redmond O’Gallagher of Derry who, at the behest of the three Hughs of Ulster, Some smuggled survivors home to Spain.
There was a 9 year war about defending the Church from communism 1573-1569 ?
1579 > Spanish + Papacy went to aid Catholic Ireland against excommunicated England.
1587 the first Iris regiment in Spanish Service
1586 more Spanish troops invaded England
https://aoh.com/2020/04/02/the-irish-spanish-connection/
https://www.theirishstory.com/2015/08/19/ireland-and-the-spanish-armada-1588/#.YTt1sJ0zbIU
They anchored off Kilrush
1601-1 More Spanish troops in Kinsale